Button-blank gage



R. STANFYORTH AND L. A. ANGLE.

BUTTON BLANK GAGE.

APPLICATION FJLED AUG-26. 191s. RENEWED AUG- I1. 1921.

' Patented Oct. 18, 1921.

Ink/EN bail E] R5 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD STANFORTH AND LLOYD A. ANGLE, OF ROCHESTER, NEWYORK, ASSIGNORS TO ART IN BUTTONS, INCL, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

BUTTOIWBLANK GAGE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 18, 1921.

Application filed August 26, 1918, Serial No. 251,563. Renewed August 17, 1821. Serial No. 493,097.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Captain RICHARD S'rsNron'n-r and LLOYD A. ANGLE, citizens of the United States, residents of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements 1n Button-Blank Gages, of.

that may be obtained from each of such blanks. This sizing has been accomplished by ging a blank at two opposite points adjacent the shortest diameter of the blank, but this method has been found to be inaccurate as, in some instances, the shortest diameter of the blank will not define the diameter of the button due to the fact that the blank may be too thin in the direction of its shortest diameter, or the operative by gaging at only two points may not select the shortest diameter.

An object of t-hisinvention is to gage each button blank at equidistant points to form between them a triangle, the apexes of which will design the circumference of the largest button that can be cut from the blank; and these points are not located at the edge of the blank but are selected at those portions of the blank which have a thickness sulficient to form the button.

To these and other ends, the invention consists of certain parts and combinations of parts, all of which will be hereinafter described, the novel features being pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of a button blank gage constructed in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is a view of the under side of the gage on a larger scale than the scale shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the gage; and

F igs. 4 and 5 are detail views of two different blanks showing the three points of contact by the gage and illustrating in dotted lines the triangle formed by the points and the position of the largest button that can be cut from the blank. Referrin more particularly to the drawlngs, 1 indlcates a base member which may be a plate or the top of a table, this base member, in this instance, having arranged about it three gage points 2, 3 and 4-. Each of these gage points, in the illustrated form, 1s secured by a screw 5 to a post 6, the post being extended through slots 7, 8 and 9, formed in the base plate or member 1, so that the gage points may be moved relatlvely to each other and to the base member, the posts acting to space the points 2, 8 and 1 from the base member for defining the thickness of the button to be cut from the blank and the gage points projecting beyond, the posts and spaced from the base member so that the thinner portions of the blanks may project under the gage points and the latter may engage the blanks within the edges of the latter at points where the blank is thick enough to form the button.

The gage points 2, 3 and 1 preferably are equidistantly arranged and are operated through a mechanism which effects their relative movement, while maintaining the equidistant relation. In this instance, this mechanism embodies a slide 10 arranged on the under side of the base 1 to operate within a guide groove 11 on the under face of said base. This slideiin this instance has a handle 12 projecting above the table through a slot 18 to facilitate the operation of the mechanism, and the post 6 which supports the gage point 3 is mounted on the slide and extends through the slot 8 in thebase. Preferably the post is adjustably connected to the slide so that the space between the base member 1 and the point 3 may be varied for determining buttons of different thicknesses. In this instance, the post has a screw-threaded portion and has screwthreaded engagement with the slide 10. To each side of the slide 10 and on the under side of the base member 1, two levers 1d may be pivoted at 15, each of said levers having one of the posts 6 which support the gage points 2 and 4 connected thereto by screw threads, so that the said gage points may be adjusted with reference to the base member. Movement of the levers 14 may be effected from the slide 10 and to this end the slide is provided with a cam extension 16 having converging faces 16 which are engaged by projections 17 on the levers 14. Th levers also have projections 18 extending laterally therefrom and working in slots 19 in a plate l9'which is secured to the slide over the cam extension 16. If desired, a coil spring 20 may connect the projections 17 for the purpose of taking up any play. The cam faces are so formed that, as the slide 10 moves, a relative movement between the gage points 2, 3 and 4 takes place maintaining the equidistant relation of the gage points. If desired, the ends of the levers 14 may be extended under a plate 21 which is held spaced from the under side of the base member 1 by spacing blocks 22.

An indicator may be employed in connection with the gage to indicate the size of the button which may be obtained'from the blank.- The unit of a button size is usually termed a line equaling 25/1000 of an inch, and the scale 23 of the indicator is divided into lines, the scale, in this instance, being situated on the base 1 and having a pointer 24 mounted on the handle 12 for operating over such scale.

In the use of the gage the slide 10 is op-.

erated to separate the gagepoints 2, 3 and 4 a maximum distance, after which a button blank 25 is placed with its large flat face against the base 1 within the space defined by the three gage points, a narrow 1 at face of the blank being brought against one of the gage points. The slide 10 is now operated to shift ti o points toward each other. This action shifts the button blank on the base member to a centered position where allthree of the gage points grasp the blank. Owing to the fact that the gage points are spaced from the base member, the blank is gaged at points where the blank has a thicknessequal to the thickness of the button to be formed. The three points will form a triangle, the apex of which will define the circumference of a button of the maximum size that can be cut from the blank; This construction gives greater accuracy in sizing as the button is automatically centered between the gage points.

'VVhat we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent.is:

1. A button blank gage comprising abase on which the flat face of a button blank is adapted to be member having a flat surface on which the 7 button blank is adapted to be centered, three posts projecting from said base member, three gage points carried by the posts and each projecting from its post toward a com- 7 mon center, and mechanism for simultaneously shifting said posts to move the gage points toward and from the common center while maintaining an equidistant relation between said gage points. r

3. A button blank gage comprising a base plate having a flat surface on which the button blank is adapted to be centered, said plate having a plurality of slots, posts projecting through the slots above the base, gage points carried by the post and each projecting from its post toward a common center, and mechanism connected with the posts for simultaneously shifting the gage points toward and from the common center while maintaining an equidistant relation between such gage points.

1. A button blank gage comprising a base on which the flat face of the button blank is positioned, and relativelymovable gage polnts adjustable toward and from the base to definethe thickness of the button to be made from the blank.

5. A button blank gage comprising a base on which the fiat face of a'button blank is adapted to be positioned, vertically adjustable posts projecting from said base and relatively movable, and gage points arranged on the posts and projecting therefrom toward a common center.

6. A button blank gage comprising a base member having a flat surface on which the button isadapted to be centered, three posts projecting from said base member, three gage points carried by the posts and each projecting from its post toward a common center, a slide on which one of said posts is mounted, and two levers on which the other two posts are respectively mounted, said levers having operating connection with the slide whereby when the slide is moved to shift the post thereon, the levers will be moved to shift the other two posts.

CAPTAIN RICHARD STANFORTH. LLOYD A, ANGLE, 

